Clamp for rail-joints.



No. 690,966. Patented Jan. I4, |902.

W. S. JUNES.

CLAMP FOB BAIL JOINTS.

(Application med June e, 1901.1 (No Modeiv.) 2 Sheets-Shet l.

No. 690,966. Patented-1an. I4, |902. w. s. Jones.

CLAMP FOR RAIL JOINTS.

led Tune 6, O1.)

(No Model.)

UNTTnn STaTns lMTnNT Ormea.

WILLIS S. JONES, OF CI-IICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO DAVID S. IVEGG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

CLAMP FOR RAILWJOINTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 690,966, dated January 14, 1902.

Application filed June 6, 1901. Serial No. 63,399. (No model.)

T all whom, it may concern:

Beit known that I, WILLIS S. JONES, a citizen ofthe United States,and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Clamps for Rail-Joints; and

I do hereby declare that the followingis a full,

clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and

1o to the letters of reference marked thereon,

which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in clamps for rail-joints, and more particularly to a clamp designed for use in relation with an insulated rail-joint.

The object of the invention is to provide means for rigidly clamping the rails together at their ends and while rigidly supporting the ends of said rails in alinementwith each other 2o exerting a maximum pressure along the web of the rails, at the end thereof, without necessitating bolting through the web.

Heretofore many attempts have been made to secure a rail-clamp which while supportz 5 ing the ends ofthe rails also supports the web laterally. In such clamps it has been found necessary to bolt through and through the webs of the rails. My invention obviates this difficulty and for that reason is particularly 3o applicable for use in connection with insulating rail-joints and for convenience is shown embodied with insulating means.

The invention consists of the matters hereinafter described, and more Jfully pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure lis a side elevation of a device embodying my invention, showing the joint in position. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same. Fig. 3 shows a 4o modiiiedformofclampadaptedtoapplymaximum pressure to the web slightly above the rail base or iianges. Fig. 4 is a modified form of my invention adapted to engage strips of wood whichiit closely between the rail base and head between the web and clamp. Fig.

5 is a similar View to Fig. 2 and illustrates another form of the base-wedge. Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6 6 of Fig. l and illustrates the application of a bolt provided with 5o an insulating-sleeve through the clamp, insulating layers, and webs ofthe rails where such bolt may be deemed desirable.

As shown in said drawings, A indicates as a whole the railway-rail, of any size and of the usual or any desired construction, having, as shown, a web d and flanges d.

B indicates a layer of insulating material of any desired or usual kind, such as indurated fiber or other suitable material, which incloses or partly invests the web and base or 6o iiange portion thereof and acts to prevent metallic contact thereof with parts ofthe clamp.

C indicates a wedge member, of metal or other suitable material, extending longitudinally of the rail-bases and is plane on its upper surface and is adapted for contact with the under side ofsaid insulating material and to form a Afirm and immovable base for the rail ends. The under surfaces of said wedge member are inclined laterally inward and down- 7o wardly from the edges toward the center, and said under surfaces on each side of the center are straight longitudinally and cylindrically concave laterally, the curve on each side of the center being equal.

D D indicate the clamps, which, as shown, are two in number, one for each side of the rail. Each clamp comprises an upper portion adapted to fit closely against the web ct or the insulating or other material, on each 8o side thereof, and an integral downwardly and inwardly extending base portion d, the upper or inner surface of which is curved complementally to the curvatures on the under side ofthe wedge member C. The curvatures of said wedge member and of the base portion el of said clamps are equal and complemental and each equals an arc of circles having their centers located laterally on each side, respectively, of a line perpendicular to 9o the center of the base and having a short radius-that is to say, in a clamp for a rail of standard size said radius could be approximately from five to six inches conveniently. Said clamps are apertured transversely and complementally through the base portion to receive the bolts F F, which extend therethrough and through transverse recesses in the key, as shown in Fig. 6 and indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 3, 4, and 5. Each of roo said clamps is provided with a plurality of 'bolt-apertures, and a plurality of bolts are sesliding the base portions of the clamps in-l wardly and transversely of the wedge and owing to the curvature of the parts causing the clamps to revolve slightly upon the centers of curvature against the wedge and throwing the tops of the clamps into rigid binding contact on each side of the rail. Obviously a very slight inward movement at the bottoms of said clamps acts to produce a much greater inward movement at the upper ends of said clamps and to proportionately increase the pressure at the tops of said clamps on the webs of the rails. The upper portions of said clamps may be of any` desired shape to conform to the shape of the rail and the insulation thereon, if any be used, or to the angleplate, fish-plate, or other rail-bond, and, if preferred, the upper end of said clamps may be so shaped as to admit of wood strips G G between the same and the rail-web, as shown in Fig. 4, in which event the operation is as before described. As a further improvement said wedge member is provided on its opposite edges with upwardly projecting iianges c c, which extend on each side of the rail-base or the insulation thereof and act to center said wedge member with its apex directly beneath the webs of the rails, thereby insuring that when the bolts are set up in the clamps the pressures of the upper ends of said clamps will be approximately equal on each side of the rails. Obviously it is not essentialthatsaidclampsbe used forinsulatingpurposes. The same may be shaped to conform to and rigidly secure any desired kind of railjoint, and, if preferred` bolts may be secured through the upper member of the clamp and through the webs of the rails, as shown in Figs. l and 6, in which instance if the clamp is to be used on an insulated joint the bolts should be provided with a sleeve of fiber or other insulating material to avoid metallic contact. Said clamps may be made in any desired length. Preferably, however, the same will be of sufficient length to fit between adjacent ties H H, and, if preferred, the upper portion thereof may be extended to rest along the top of each tie, as shown in Fig. l. As shown, integral webs d d are provided transversely of the clamp and in alinement with the said bolt-holes, thereby permitting the clamps to be made much lighter, while preserving the requisite strength.

Obviously many details of construction may be modified without depar-ting from the principle of my invention.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a clamp for rail-joints a clamp member adapted to partly inclose a rail-base and comprising an upper portion adapted to press against the rail-web and a lower portion conveXly curved transversely, the center of curvature thereof being located below and laterally of the rail-web when the clamp is in position, said lower portion having bolt-apertures extending transversely through the bottom portion thereof.

2. A clamp member for rail-joints comprising an upper portion and a lower portion, said lower portion being convexly curved transversely and adapted to extend beneath the rail-base, and the center of curvature thereof being below and laterally of the rail-web when the clamp is in position, said lower portion having transverse apertures extending therethrough below the rail-base and transverse strengthening-webs in alinement with said apertures.

3. A rail-joint clamp comprising` two similar members adapted to be secured on opposite sides of a railway-rail, means for securing said clamps together beneath the rail-base and means whereby inward movement of the clamp members beneath the rail-base acts to produce a proportionately greater tendency to inward movement at the upper end of said clamps.

4. A clamp for rail-joints comprising two similar members one adapted to be secured on each side of the rail ends at the joint, each clamp member provided with an upper portion adapted to be rotated inwardly into compressing relation with the rail-web and a lower portion adapted to mutally support the rail ends, bolts extending through said clamp members beneath the rail-base and means whereby compression beneath the rail-base .acts to partly rotate said upper portions into firmer compressing relation with the railwebs.

5. A wedge member for the purpose speciiied comprising a plate having a plane upper surface and oppositely concaved laterally on its under surface from the center thereof.

6. A wedge member for the purpose specified comprising a plate having a plane upper surface and oppositely concaved laterally on its under surface from the center thereof and an upwardly-extending longitudinal iiange on each side of said wedge member adapted to engage between the same a rail-base.

7. A clamp for rail-joints comprising two oppositely-facing clamp members adapted to tit between adjacent ties of the track each provided with an upper portion adapted for compressing relation with the rail-web, a lower portion curving downwardly and inwardly and adapted for upward pressure on the rail-bases, an integral double wedge member adapted to engage beneath the rail-bases and having its under surfaces curved transversely complementally with the curvature of the clamps and bolts passing transversely IOO IIO

through the bottoms of said clamps and acting to draw the same inwardly thereby rotating the top of the clamp members inwardly into compressing relation with the web.

8. insulating clamp members for rail-joints comprising complemental clamp members adapted to be secured on each side of the rails, the upper portions thereof adapted to engage on each side of the web, the lower portion curving downwardly and inwardly transversely of and below the rail-bases, a wedge member having oppositely-inclined concave surfaces complemental to the curved surfaces of the clamp members and means engaging said clamps below the rails and acting to draw the same inwardly thereby partly rotating the same on said wedge members and producing compression along the rail-web.

9. A self-centering clamp for railjoints comprising a wedge member provided on its upper surface with a groove complemental to and adapted to receive the rail ends, the under surface of said wedge member being conoavely curved inwardly and downwardly on each side thereof to a center beneath the railweb, clamp members curved at their lower portions to engage said'wedge member, upper portions thereon adapted for compression on the rail-web and bolts extending through said clamps and wedge members and acting to draw said clamp into positive engagement with said wedge member and into compressing relation on each side of the web.

l0. A self-centering clamp for rail-joints comprising a wedge member provided on its upper surface withagroove complemental to and adapted to receive said rail ends, the under surface of said wedge member being concavely curved inwardly and downwardly on each side thereof to a center beneath the railweb, clamp members curved at their lower portions to engage said wedge member, upper portions thereon adapted for compression on the rail-web and means acting from beneath the rail-bases to draw said clampinto positive engagement with said wedge member and into compressing relation on each side of the web.

1l. A self-centering clamp for rail-joints comprising a wedge member provided on its upper surface with a groove complemental to and adapted to receive the rail ends with their insulation, the under surface of said wedge member being concavely curvedinwardly and downwardly on each side thereof to a center beneath the rail-web, clamp members curved at their lower portions to engage said wedge member, upper portions thereon adapted for compression on the rail-web and means acting from beneath the rail-bases to draw said clamp into positive engagement with said wedge member and into compressing relation on each side of the web.

l2. A clamp member for rail-joints adapted to partly inclose a rail-base, and comprising an upper portion adapted to press against a rail, and a lower portion conveXly curved transversely, the center of curvature thereof being located below the rail when the clamp is in position, substantially as described.

13. A clamp member for rail-joints adapted to partly inclose a rail-base, and comprising an upper portion adapted to press laterally against the web and perpendicularly .against the base of a rail, and a lower portion conveXly curved transversely, the center of curvature thereof being located below the rail when the clamp is in position, substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses. f

WILLIS S. JONES.

In presence oi` Gno. L. WILKINSON, CLARA C. CUNNINGHAM. 

